Month: October 2019

CNN Makes Major Contribution To Addressing The Issue Of Gay, Lesbian, And Transgender Rights, Essential For Social Justice

Ronald 29 Comments

CNN made a major contribution last night to addressing the issue of gay, lesbian and transgender rights, essential for social justice.

Nine Presidential candidates had a half hour each to answer questions and make clear their views on this crucial topic.

Cory Booker, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Julian Castro, Amy Klobuchar, Julian Castro, and Tom Steyer participated between 730 pm and midnight.

Bernie Sanders did not participate due to his recent heart attack, and Tulsi Gabbard and Andrew Yang claimed scheduling issues made it impossible for them to be present.

Particularly impressive, in the mind of this blogger and author, was Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay Presidential candidate, who has made a good impression on many people on many different issues, and has been successful in raising millions of dollars in the third quarter of 2019, and is fourth in most polls.

But all of the candidates are open minded and tolerant, a stark difference from the evangelical right wing Christian view advocated by Vice President Mike Pence, and promoted by Donald Trump, despite his total lack of religiosity his entire life. Trump has ended the policy of tolerance of gays in the military, and has shown no willingness to have an open mind on gay rights, including judicial appointments of nominees clearly anti gay, using religion as an excuse for discrimination.

Support For Trump Impeachment Becomes A Majority In Latest Public Opinion Polls

Ronald 40 Comments

As Donald Trump makes clear that he will not cooperate in any fashion with the Democrats wanting testimony and documents, support for impeachment and removal from office has reached a majority in public opinion polls, including the Fox News Channel poll.

That never happened with Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon only two weeks before his resignation in 1974, and Trump is too confident that nothing can happen to him, but it is clear that his refusal to cooperate with a legitimate investigation is undermining public support, and further harms his campaign for reelection.

With suburbanites, educated women, farmers, and many working class whites seeing that Trump is a loose cannon and has harmed many with his insane tariff policy toward China and the European Union, Trump is clearly delusional, and thinks he can survive impeachment by wild Twitter statements, including calling for impeachment of Republican Senator Mitt Romney, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. His ignorance shows through, as he seems not to understand that only people in the executive and judicial branches of government can be impeached.

His public statements and Twitter feed only are undermining him more by the day, and sealing his fate as a failure as President, never having had a majority in any reputable public opinion poll supportive of him and his Presidency!

The Right Wing Supreme Court Seems Ready To Declare War On Abortion, Gay Rights, Gun Rights, Immigration, Separation Of Church And State, And Presidential Power

Ronald 1 Comment

The new session of the Supreme Court has begun, and the full effect of Donald Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh will now, likely, be felt.

While it is true that Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are not “twins”, to expect any major surprises in constitutional law in this 2019-2020 term are highly unlikely, as right wing law looks in the ascendancy.

What the Court decides ends up as the law of the land, and for progressives, it does not bode well on the issues of abortion, gay rights, gun rights, immigration, separation of church and state, and the growth of Presidential power.

The fulcrum of the Court, Anthony Kennedy, is now retired for a year, and the only hope to avoid extreme right wing judgments is if Chief Justice John Roberts, who has been a surprise a few times in his views on the Court in recent years, becomes the new “swing” vote on the Court this term.

Roberts might also preside over an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, who he, clearly, has been critical of in a number of ways, and the Court could limit Trump’s Abuse of Power, beyond Roberts presiding over an impeachment prosecution.

Since Roberts is worried about the image of “his” Court, some surprises may be in the offing, and of course, progressives will be watching the health and stability of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, now 86, having survived a third and fourth cancer, and wondering if she will be able to continue on the Court into the next Presidential term in 2021.

Major Republican Opposition To Trump On Abandonment Of Kurds To Turkish Dictatorship Desire To Exterminate Them

Ronald 4 Comments

Donald Trump has opened up a major revolt in the Republican Party by his decision to abandon the Kurds, who helped defeat ISIS, and allowing the Turkish dictatorship to mount an assault, with the purpose of “ethnic cleansing” of a nationality, which has long wanted its own nationhood, but is considered by the Turks to be a terrorist group. However, thousands of Kurds died fighting ISIS alongside the international coalition led by the United States.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Lindsey Graham, House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Ben Sasse, Senator Rob Portman, Senator Patrick Toomey, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Christian Broadcasting Network evangelical Pat Robertson, and innumerable others denounced Trump. They said he was undermining national security, and creating the likelihood of revived ISIS terrorism in the future.

Trump is proving how he has no concept of how to deal with foreign policy, and is most interested in pleasing dictators as with Turkey, a nation which should not be favored in assessments of the Middle East.

Whether this anger and growing split on the Kurds will cause any real opposition to Trump on other issues, and on the impending impeachment, seems highly unlikely, but Trump clearly is undermining Republican fear of antagonizing him.

Two Democratic Presidential Candidates Now Harmed In Quest For Nomination: Joe Biden And Bernie Sanders

Ronald 66 Comments

It turns out that the two oldest Presidential contenders in 2020–Democrats Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, who would both reach 80 early in their term, if they won the Presidency–are both much more in danger in their quest to be the Presidential nominee by recent events.

Donald Trump’s claim that Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden were involved in Ukraine corruption seems clearly to have no logical or factual basis, but Trump is pushing the conspiracy theory, and it seems to be having some effect on public opinion, as a growing number of people polled want an investigation and more facts about the supposed “conspiracy”. So Joe Biden needs to be aggressive in dealing with this matter, as trying to ignore it is not going to work. It is clear that the upcoming election will be a “mud fight” with no holds barred, and one must be tough and willing to get involved in a boxing match, as Donald Trump has no limits in his indecency and willingness to corrupt and manipulate the truth!

At the same time, Bernie Sanders, no matter what his supporters wish, by having had a mild heart attack, only emphasizes his age, and makes one wonder could he, indeed, take the brunt of a rough campaign over the next 13 months, and whether one could expect him to serve a full term in good health. One wishes him the best, but it is an issue which will not go away.

All this, plus the fact that Joe Biden sometimes seems mentally lacking in alertness makes one worry if he also is truly capable of serving a full term, and either Biden or Sanders could have a health crisis after being nominated and during the fall campaign, and that would be devastating for the Democrats in their quest to retire the most corrupt and mentally unstable President in all of American history.

The facts are that Donald Trump has shown ability to overcome all detriments and shortcomings so far, but we cannot be certain that Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders can do the same.

And again, it brings up the idea that it would be better to have a new generation of leadership facing the future, rather than Trump, Biden or Sanders, all in their mid to late 70s or early 80s in the new decade of the 2020s!

Some Republican Senators Begin Expressing Criticism Of Donald Trump

Ronald 2 Comments

In the midst of the impeachment crisis, some Republican Senators are beginning to separate themselves from Donald Trump, after being silent for so long.

So we have Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Joni Ernst of Iowa expressing sharp criticism of Trump, with Romney the strongest in his statements, and Trump bitterly attacking him, and stupidly, calling for his impeachment, something that cannot be done against a member of Congress, but only the executive and judicial branches of government.

All of the above are facing reelection in 2020, except for Romney, who does not face voters again until 2024.

How much further Sasse, Collins, and Ernst will go against Trump will be interesting to watch, and one senses that others, including those not facing reelection in 2020, will start to turn against him, with long serving member Chuck Grassley of Iowa defending the “whistleblower” investigation on the Ukraine controversy.

So the impeachment drama, and how it will affect the Congressional and Presidential elections of 2020, continues to draw attention, as, with 13 months to go, the unpredictability of what will occur in November 2020 is clearly very concerning.

Trump Aiding Russia And China In Suppression Of Ukraine And Hong Kong: A Complete Reversal Of Foreign Policy Of Cold War Years

Ronald 1 Comment

The nation is in the midst of a totally unbelievable situation, with President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Attorney General William Barr involved deeply in a conspiracy to collaborate with Russia and China, two nations that have been historically rivals in the years since World War II, with both being Communist nations.

Russia may be, technically, no longer Communist, but in actuality, Vladimir Putin was part of the old Soviet Union secret police before 1991, and China has been a Communist nation since 1949.

So now Trump and his cronies are trying to force Ukraine to help in collusion on trying to destroy former Vice President Joe Biden for the 2020 election, and basically, telling Ukraine’s leader that if he is to get military support against Russia, he must come up with “dirt” on Biden. The implication is that Ukraine is endangered, and that Russia, which took away part of that nation in 2014 will have a free hand if Ukraine does not come up with what Trump wants from them.

And now Trump has asked China to help do damage to Joe Biden, with the implication that the United States would stand by and allow China to suppress Hong Kong, and in the future, who can say that Taiwan would not also be threatened by China with no American response?

So in order to win the 2020 election, Trump wants collusion by Ukraine and China, similar to what he had with Russia in 2016, and he is not telling Russia not to collude again, and Putin is now joking about it openly!

And if Ukraine is seized by Russia, and if Hong Kong, and maybe in the future, Taiwan, are seized and end the concept of human rights, so be it in Donald Trump’s unstable brain, as he has abandoned all principle on the significance of basic human freedoms, and historic Republican opposition to Communism in the two biggest nations that have been seen as threats.

Here is a man who keeps on saying he has no intentions on leaving power at any point, so he represent a threat to basic human rights in America, let alone in Ukraine and Hong Kong and maybe Taiwan!

If that is not an impeachable act in itself, then what is impeachable?

Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, William Barr All Guilty Of Impeachable Acts: Unprecedented In American History!

Ronald 6 Comments

An unprecedented situation has arisen in American government and American history.

Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Attorney General William Barr are all implicated in the Ukraine Scandal, and now Trump has called upon China to collude in finding “dirt” on former Vice President Joe Biden, right now the strongest opponent of Trump in the upcoming Presidential race.

So it is possible that all four will face impeachment resolutions, as clearly, the top leadership of the nation is jointly involved in scandal and corruption, and not just the Ukraine or China collusion.

This will scar all three of Trump’s cronies in history, and if Mike Pence somehow becomes President in the remainder of the term, he is scarred and will not be able to stay in office beyond January 20, 2021!

The Issue Of Age Rears Its Ugly Head: Bernie Sanders’ Heart Issue, And Joe Biden’s Mental Health

Ronald 1 Comment

An issue that has been hanging over the Democratic Party is the reality that two of the top candidates–former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders–would reach the age of 80 within two years or one year respectively of taking the oath as President.

Very few leaders of nations are ever in office in their 80s, and the pressure and stress of the job is such that one has to be concerned about the health effects on an octogenarian.

It is true that based on estimates by life insurance companies, a person in the late 70s might live up to ten years, but the burden of the Presidency is not the ordinary kind of life that people at that age usually have to deal with.

So it is perfectly fine for a person in the late 70s or higher to work, and even to be a member of Congress or the federal courts, but no job in government is quite like the Presidency.

So this author and blogger has problems and concerns about either Joe Biden, who he greatly admires and always has, and Bernie Sanders, someone he is not as enthusiastic about, facing the Presidency at their age.

It seems far better that someone much younger be the nominee and the next President, although Elizabeth Warren at age 71 at the time of the election does have the edge of seven to eight years on Biden and Sanders, although she would be a year older than Donald Trump when taking the oath office, so not ideal either.

The Disgraceful Sycophants For Donald Trump: Rudy Giuliani, Stephen Miller, Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, Lindsey Graham, And More

Ronald 2 Comments

History will record in a condemnatory way the long list of disgraceful sycophants who have legitimized Donald Trump’s abuse of power and obstruction of justice.

The leading sycophants include:

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has gone totally off the rails, and seems clearly to have lost all morality and ethics, amidst signs of dementia.

Stephen Miller, the 34 year old senior adviser for Trump, who has demonstrated his total lack of decency, compassion, and empathy, and is perceived by some as the new modern young Roy Cohn of the Joseph McCarthy era, a Jewish man who shows totally despicable and indefensible behavior, including racism and nativism to the extreme.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who makes Paul Ryan and John Boehner both seem far less objectionable than they actually were, and a total liar and phony who disgraces the Republican Party in the lower chamber.

Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, a truly obnoxious, nasty and arrogant Tea Party activist who spews forth poisonous propaganda on a regular basis.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who thought Bill Clinton should be impeached, but now sees no grounds for Donald Trump to be impeached. His former friend, the late John McCain, would be sorely disappointed with his behavior defending Trump,

The list is much more than these five, and now includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr, both of whom, by their lies and deception and unwillingness to cooperate in the impeachment investigation of Donald Trump, could face legal action and impeachment on their own.

Never has there been so many people willing to sacrifice their careers and reputations to defend a President who is the most unethical, immoral, and cruel person we have ever had in the White House, who now has the gall to say he will never leave the Presidency, implying the end of the 22nd Amendment and democratic elections in the future, as if he is an Emperor or King,

The threat of civil war enunciated by religious right wing fanatics must not prevent the rule of law, and the willingness, if need be, to remove Donald Trump forcibly from the Oval Office in chains and handcuffs if need be, to uphold the Constitution of the United States!